Nothing soothes a hot summer day quite like ice cream and we think you'll be screaming for our blackberry chocolate ice cream! The third Sunday in July is National Ice Cream Day and you can find lots of deals at your favorite ice cream shops. Or make your own! We whipped up this simple, egg-free ice cream made with a luscious combination of fresh blackberries and dark chocolate.

Haven't made your own ice cream before? This recipe is a great place to start because it's so easy to put together. A simple mix of fruit, cream, and sugar, the bright blackberry flavor shines right through, tasting like summer in bowl.... or a cone!

Blackberry Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients :

1 quart blackberries

1 ½ cups heavy cream

⅔ cup sugar

pinch of salt

2 tbsp vodka

5 oz dark chocolate

Directions :

1. Purée the blackberries in a food processor until smooth and pass through a fine mesh sieve, stirring to help force the mixture through. Chill the purée in the fridge until you are ready to freeze the ice cream.

2. Pour the cream, sugar, and salt into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.

3. Remove the cream mixture from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Mix in the vodka and chill thoroughly in the fridge.

4. When both mixtures are very cold, pour the cream and the berry purée into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's directions.

5. While the ice cream is churning, set a glass or metal bowl over a pot of simmering water. Roughly chop the dark chocolate and place in the bowl. Heat the chocolate, stirring frequently, until it is completely melted. Remove the bowl from the pot and let cool slightly.

6. When the ice cream is nearly finished churning, use a spoon to carefully drizzle thin ribbons of melted chocolate into the churning ice cream. If any clumps of chocolate begin to build up on the surface, knock them loose to incorporate them into the ice cream.